Education

Workshops, Lectures, and Demonstrations

School & Youth

Compass Inn Museum’s guided field trips are designed for students from grades K-12 and are aligned with Pennsylvania curriculum standards. We also welcome Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troops, daycare centers, homeschool students, and other youth groups.

Taking a field trip to the Ligonier Valley Historical Society’s Compass Inn Museum provides an opportunity to experience United States history through real objects, people and stories of the Ligonier Valley. Field trips engage the senses, bring curriculum concepts to life and inspire new questions. Students will learn what it was like to travel along the Pennsylvania turnpike in a Conestoga Wagon and stagecoach and experience daily life and occupations of the nineteenth century.

In addition to a tour of the historic Inn, the wagon barn which houses our 1830s-style stagecoach and restored Conestoga wagon, and playing with nineteenth-century toys and games, teachers and group leaders have the option to sign their students up for several hands-on activities. These extra activities include Open-hearth Cooking, Tin Punch, Candle Dipping and a Blacksmith demonstration. See below for additional activity fees. Chaperones may participate in these activities.

DETAILS

The maximum number of students per school per day is 120. Field trips can last from 1.5 hours to 5 hours depending on the number of students and activities chosen. During the field trip, each activity station will be run by a museum staff member. Students are divided up into several small groups, and along with their designated chaperones they visit these stations in a round-robin fashion.

Payment must be made on the day of the tour (unless paid in advance). We accept all major credit cards and checks. Chaperones may pay separately, but please keep in mind that we have one register and multiple individual transactions may cause a delay.

Students will be divided into groups of 10-15 students, and docents will lead each group through the historic inn, outbuildings, and activities.

There is ample outdoor space for eating lunch on the grounds, but you will need to provide blankets, trash bags, etc. All trash must be taken with you when you leave.

Pricing

• $4.50/student, $7.50/adult, Twenty (20) participants or more

• $6.50/student, $9.50/adult, Fewer than twenty (20) and more than ten (10) participants

Extra activities, $2.00 per student

• Blacksmith demonstration

• Tin punch

• Candle-dipping

• Cooking over the hearth

Reservations

Reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance. A 25% deposit is due three weeks from the time of reservation. The remainder of the cost for a final number of students/chaperones is due the day of the field trip.

School Tours are available May-October. May is a high-demand month, so be sure to book early to ensure the date you want. Contact Kacey Wees at 724-238-4983 or kwees@compassinn.org to inquire about a reservation.

Cancellation Policy

If you need to cancel your field trip, please contact us as soon as possible. Cancellations made at least one month prior to the date of the field trip will receive a full (100%) refund. Cancellations made less than one month but at least two weeks prior will receive 50% refund. Any cancellations made less than two weeks before the field trip will receive no refund.

Educator Resources

Teachers, click here for educational materials you can use before and after your class’s field trip.

Group Tours

Group tours are available for groups of ten or more. The tour includes the historic Inn, Blacksmith Shop, Cookhouse, and Barn with an 1830s-style stagecoach and restored Conestoga Wagon. Group tours generally last approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours, but we will do our best to accommodate your schedule.

Candlelight tours (November and December) include the historic Inn, Cookhouse, and Blacksmith Shop.

Extra activities or demonstrations may be arranged for your group for an additional fee. These extra activities include donut making or ice cream making in the Cookhouse, a forge demonstration in the Blacksmith Shop, or a nineteenth-century fashion show.

Pricing

• $12.50/adults, $6.50/students for Twenty (20) participants or more

• $13.00/adults, $7.50/students for Less than twenty (20) participants

• *(complimentary admission for the tour guide and the bus driver)

   

Extra activities, $4.00 per person

• Cooking donuts over the hearth

• Blacksmith Demonstration

• Ice Cream Making

Reservations

Reservations are required for groups of ten or more and must be made at least two weeks in advance. Payment is due one week before the scheduled tour.

Contact Kacey Wees at 724-238-4983 or kwees@compassinn.org to inquire about a reservation today.